Warning: This article has spoilers for Bosch: Legacy!
After watching the Amazon showsBoschandBosch: Legacy, fans can check out these police procedurals and crime dramas with similarities. After seven seasons of the original show and three of the new, the story of Harry Bosch is finally coming to an end. TheBoschuniverse will continue, though, with aspinoff show calledBallard, which focuses on the character Detective Renee Ballard.
While some fans may carry on watching that show, others might want to shift their focus to a different story that’s similar to Bosch. Luckily, there’s no shortage of detective stories, crime dramas, andpolice procedurals. These ten shows all have similarities aside from the genre which will appeal to fans ofBoschandBosch: Legacy.
The showGoliathis created by legal drama alumnus David E. Kelley, who is behind shows likeBoston LegalandAlly McBeal. The Prime Video series is an excellent choice for fans ofBoschandBosch: Legacy. After falling from grace, lawyer Billy McBride transitioned into pursuing personal injury cases. However, he is convinced to take on a wrongful death lawsuit that uncovers a larger conspiracy.
The main characters of thePrime Video original showshave very similar personalities, despite their differing professions, due to their jaded perspectives and their personal demons.GoliathandBoschlook at the concept of morality within corrupt systems. Moreover,GoliathandBosch: Legacyalso include both main characters uncovering a deadly conspiracy.
Fans of the original Bosch series will most likely enjoyTrue Detective, which started releasing in 2014 and continues to the present. As promised by the title,True Detectiveis a police procedural that focuses on detectives who approach cases in an unconventional way. Each season takes place in a different area of the country with a different cast.
UnlikeBosch, which focuses primarily on one main character,True Detectiveincludes an ensemble of detectives investigating homicides and disappearances across the United States. LikeBosch, the HBO show takes on grim cases that might be deemed too bleak for other police procedurals. Additionally, the stories are heavily narrative-driven, with the characters’ personal experiences influencing their work.
The Prime Video showsBoschandBosch: Legacyhave a darker, more gritty tone than many police procedurals, and it’s certainly more atmospheric. Anyone who likes these aspects of the show will probably enjoyLuther, a British crime thriller that centers on DCI John Luther, a police detective who investigates cases deemed “serious and serial.”
The main characters of both series tend to bend, and sometimes outright break, the rules to do their job. LikeBosch,Lutheris also atmospheric, dark, and gritty. An interesting difference that might appeal to some people is the fact that Luther has a connection to a murderer who appears on and off throughout the show, a dynamic that’s fun to watch.
Anyone who likesBoschandBosch: Legacybut wants a quick watch needs to check out HBO’sMare of Easttown. The miniseries follows a detective named Mare Sheehand who is trying to solve a murder in her small Pennsylvania hometown, Easttown. For a year before the show starts, Mare has struggled to solve the disappearance of a little girl which could be connected to her current murder case.
Prime Video’sBosch: Legacyand HBO’sMare of Easttownboth look at the main characters’ mental health and the way their pasts impact their job. Bosch and Mare’s families and past factor into the story. These shows also weave in elements of the thriller genre, rather than being traditional dramas. The stakes are high for both detectives, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats at times.
The British police proceduralBloodlandsis a must-watch for fans ofBosch.Bloodlandsfollows a Northern Irish investigator named DCI Tom Brannick, who works with colleagues to investigate complicated cases that aren’t as straightforward as they seem. Aside from being the same genre,BoschandBloodlandsshare many narrative and stylistic similarities.
Both series have a serialized format, telling stories across multiple episodes. They also center on a renegade cop who rarely plays by the rules but is still trustworthy. Although Harry Bosch is largely a serious man, he uses dry humor and gallows humor at times – a trait that’s also found in theBloodlandscharacters. The shows also have elements of mystery with major plot twists and surprises during the investigations.
Based on the books by Jeff Lindsay, the seriesDexterwas wildly popular because of its unique premise. Given the massive fanbase, it’s not surprising that it would lead to a sequelDextershowcalledDexter: New Blood, just like Bosch proceededBosch: Legacy.Dexter: New Bloodlooks at what Dexter is doing with himself almost a decade after the original show ended.
Both original shows feature a main character who works with the police, while the sequel series both place the protagonist outside the bounds of a law enforcement job. Thematically,Dexter: New BloodandBosch: Legacyexplore how past trauma impacts people down the line. Flashbacks of Bosch’s past and Dexter’s past add more depth to the TV shows. Despite these similarities, though, fans ofBosch: Legacyshould be aware going intoDexter: New Bloodthat Dexter is absolutely nothing like Bosch in their personality.
AlthoughBoschcame out from 2014 to 2021, the show has surprising similarities to the showHomicide: Life on the Street, which aired two decades earlier. Based on the bookHomicide: A Year on the Killing Streetsby David Simon, the show tells the story of the detectives in the fictional Homicide Unit of the Baltimore Police Department as they investigate cases.
According to the documentaryAnatomy of Homicide: Life on the Street, Simon wanted the show to debunk the stereotypical portrayal of the American detective as noble and empathetic. In many ways,Boschseeks to do the same thing. The detectives in both shows are jaded by their jobs. This brings a gritty realism that makes the shows compelling. Despite their tonal similarities, Bosch’s cases are given more time and attention, whileHomicide: Life on the Streetsis mostly episodic.
The Australian crime dramaBlack Snowmight not be well-known to US audiences, but it’s a great show for any fan to watch after finishingBoschandBosch: Legacy. The story follows Detective James Cormack, a man who investigates cold cases while trying to grapple with his past traumas.
Black Snowhas two seasons at the time of writing, but a third season is rumored to be in the works. The Australian network Stan has not picked up a third season or canceled the show.
Each season features a different unsolved case, and they include surprising twists. While cases aren’t completely siloed inBosch, they do get told over the course of many episodes. Family also plays a significant role in both stories. For Black Snow, it’s James’ brother. ForBoschandBosch: Legacy, it’s his daughter Maddie.
After watchingBoschandBosch: Legacy, fans should look to another British crime drama,Line of Duty. The story follows the members of Anti-Corruption Unit 12, a police team who focus on investigating corruption within the police department. TheBoschshows andLine of Dutyboth have an inherent distrust of the system, and Bosch frequently finds himself discovering police and political corruption. Neither of the shows include many filler episodes.
The cases, which span multiple episodes, all feature complex cases with plot twists. Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott, one of the main characters ofLine of Duty, has a similar personality to Harry Bosch, the eponymous character of theBoschTV shows.
The most obvious choice for what to watch afterBoschandBosch: LegacyisThe Lincoln Lawyer. The Netflix show, based on the titular book series by Michael Connelly, follows Mickey Haller, a famous defense attorney who takes on high-stakes cases. He’s known for getting his clients off by twisting the law and finding loopholes.
ThoughMickey Haller never appears inBoschorBosch: Legacy, and Harry Bosch isn’t inThe Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch are half-brothers in the books. The Amazon and Netflix shows have a similar narrative style and tone because they draw heavily on the books. The biggest difference betweenThe Lincoln Lawyerand theBoschshows is the fact that the former is much faster paced than the latter. Plus, the Netflix show examines the law from the legal profession, while the Amazon shows take the perspective of a detective.
